Judge Jodie Bell
Address: Justice A.A. Birch Building, 408 2nd Avenue North, Suite 3120, P.O. Box 196300 Nashville, Tennessee 37219
Administrative Assistant: Carol Houston
Email: CarolMHouston@jisnashville.gov
Phone: (615) 862-8312
Fax: (615) 862-8350
Judge’s Biography
Judge Jodie Bell grew up in Northern California in the town of Martinez. She is a first-generation college student, earning her bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University. While an undergraduate, Judge Bell interned at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office where she worked with attorneys and on cases that inspired her to attend law school. After graduating from Golden Gate University School of Law, Judge Bell practiced criminal defense in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1997, Judge Bell moved to Nashville, Tennessee and in the Spring of 1998 secured a position with the Davidson County Public Defender’s Office. In 2001, she entered private practice devoting a significant portion of her practice to representing indigent persons. She subsequently founded the criminal defense firm of Bell, Tennent and Frogge, pllc, where for eleven years she worked with a team of attorneys handling criminal defense matters in and around Davidson County. Up until her appointment to the bench, Ms. Bell represented clients on criminal matters, protective orders, seizure issues and represented prospective attorneys before the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners. A significant portion of Judge Bell’s practice has always involved accepting appointments by the Court to represent indigent persons accused of breaking the law.
Throughout Judge Bell’s practice, she has strived to improve the court system, taking steps to ensure justice and fairness to those impacted by the process. She has worked on various committees to screen applicants for judicial magistrate and public defender vacancies, has screened attorneys for participation in the federal Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel for the Middle District of Tennessee, has developed training programs in state and federal courts, has taught various continuing legal education courses, and has mentored attorneys and law students. More recently, Judge Bell worked on drafting and implementing the IDEA Pilot Project, a program that screens and appoints qualified attorneys to represent indigent people facing serious felony cases in Davidson County who, due to a legal conflict, cannot be represented by the Nashville Defenders.
During her career, Judge Bell has been a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Nashville Bar Association, and the Lawyer’s Association for Women. Judge Bell is a Nashville Bar Association Fellow and has been a member of the Harry Phillips Inn of Court. Judge Bell previously served as a board member for Reconciliation Prison Ministries, the Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Judge Bell was an active member of the CJA Panel for approximately twenty years and was named the 2014 CJA Panel Attorney of the Year for the Middle District of Tennessee
Desiring to ensure all members of the Nashville-Davidson County community are treated fairly when impacted by the legal system, Judge Bell sought the appointment to Division VI of the General Sessions Court. In November 2025, Judge Bell was appointed by the Metro Council. She is committed to ensuring access, fairness and justice for all persons appearing in the Davidson County General Sessions Court.